The Long Dark Reveals Story Mode

Popular first-person, man-vs.-nature survival game The Long Dark is getting a full-blown Story Mode, the developers at Hinterland Studio have announced. The first part launches in Spring 2016, and the first teaser can be seen in the video above. It's expected to clock in at about 3-4 hours, with subsequent episodes lasting 2-3 hours for a grand season total of 10-12 hours. The current Sandbox Mode is available for $19.99 on Steam and Xbox One, but the price will increase when Story mode launches in the Spring. At launch,all Kickstarter, Early Access, and Game Preview backers will get Story mode at no additional charge.

Exit Theatre Mode

Players in Story Mode will alternate playing as pilot Will Mackenzie and Dr. Astrid Greenwood in their quest to survive in the aftermath of the "First Flare" event. “After keeping our community in the dark about our plans for Story Mode, we’re thrilled to finally be able to reveal some details of what we’ve been working on alongside the over 75 updates we’ve made to Sandbox Mode over the last year,” said Hinterland founder and creative director Raphael van Lierop. “Our success on Early Access proved there’s an audience for a more thoughtful survival experience, and the resources we’ve been able to invest in the game will help us pursue our ambitions around storytelling as we continue to expand this world. We see a bright future for The Long Dark, and are committed to a long­term relationship with our players.”

According to Hinterland, approximately 25%-30% of Story Mode will take place in entirely new areas. Furthermore, the Sandbox Mode's permadeath will be replaced by a checkpoint save system in Story Mode. Furthermore, the December update for Sandbox adds a new region called Timberwolf Mountain, rope-climbing gameplay, a survival log, a stats screen, and other fixes.

Exit Theatre Mode

Below are concept art looks at Story Mode's two playable heroes, Will and Astrid.